Cleveland Photographic Society

In order to provide members an opportunity to both show their work and obtain feedback to assist them in becoming better photographers, CPS holds regular photo competitions throughout the year. CPS Members and students in CPS Classes are invited to participate in competitions, which are juried by independent judges to ensure objectivity.

Competitions are held in five categories. Each competition evening features one category but all competitions also provide the opportunity to submit Pictorial images. Each competition category offers three opportunities to compete each year. Six competitions each year are Print and six are Projection. The categories are:

Black & White - Monochrome images, including single tone and sepia. Any image with spot color is considered a Color image and is not eligible for this category.

Creative - Photos taken using special lenses, filters, lighting conditions or other creative means and photos creatively edited using digital imaging software.

Nature - Photos of animals, flowers, plants and scenics where the 'hand of man' is not evident.

People - Candids or portraits where people are the primary subject

Pictorial - An open category encompassing photos of any subject.

Helpful Links and Competition Results:

What's New for 2017-18 - In addition to the updated Competition Schedule, Rules and the How to Compete presentation appearing below, Bill Keaton - the 2017-18 Competition Chair - has detailed all the changes and improvements made to our Competition program for the new club year. We hope YOU will plan to compete and learn with us in this upcoming year!

Rules - Before entering competition, members are urged to consult the Competition Rules - 2017-18 Competition Rules Now Posted!.

’How To’ - New as well as seasoned members may be able to better understand the ins and outs of preparing for competition by downloading this tutorial. ALSO: If you have questions regarding how to size and prepare your images for competition, check out these new tutorials: How to Size and How to Mat.

Labels - Members are encouraged to pre-print competition labels, using this document and printing on Avery label blank #5164 (or generic equivalent), available at most office supply retailers.

Entries - To assist members in determining the images they have submitted during the current club year, a database of all competition entries will be posted here in Excel spreadsheet format. This spreadsheet is updated as soon as possible following each competition.

Year-End - At the end of each competition year, members have the opportunity to re-submit previously-entered images in Year-End Competition. Winners of this Competition hang on the wall of the Club’s Gathering Room for the entire following competition year!. To learn more about Year-End Competition, three links have been provided: End of Year Demystified - a complete explanation of the End-of-Year process, End of Year Q & A - a quick recap of frequently asked questions and CPS Special Awards - a complete list of the seven Special Awards that also hang on the Gathering Room wall.

The mission of the Cleveland Photographic Society is to promote and advance the understanding, passion and joy of photography by providing opportunities for education, skill development, picture-taking, competition, critique and fellowship.